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    • All HBS Web  (2,598)
      • Faculty Publications  (402)

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      • October 1992 (Revised October 1993)
      • Case

      Lehigh Valley Industries (LVI)

      By: Kim B. Clark
      Describes a situation confronting a manufacturer of forged parts that has recently undergone a leveraged buyout. The company is under pressure to improve operating performance dramatically. Describes several options designed to improve performance, including adding... View Details
      Keywords: Management Practices and Processes; Product; Production; Performance Improvement; Capital; Industrial Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry
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      Clark, Kim B. "Lehigh Valley Industries (LVI)." Harvard Business School Case 693-040, October 1992. (Revised October 1993.)
      • October 1992
      • Supplement

      American Connector Co. (B)

      By: Gary P. Pisano
      Presents a plant manager's proposal to improve operations at American Connector Co. The plan attempts to imitate operations at DJC Corp., a successful Japanese competitor. Requires students to consider how changes in manufacturing impact productivity, flexibility, and... View Details
      Keywords: Change; Production; Performance Productivity; Strategy; Japan; Sunnyvale
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      Pisano, Gary P. "American Connector Co. (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 693-049, October 1992.
      • April 1992 (Revised June 1993)
      • Case

      Otis South Africa (A)

      By: Michael Beer
      Otis Worldwide CEO, George David, was frustrated with the slow pace of nonwhite advancement within Otis South Africa. After a few years of trying to elicit action from South African management, he decided to send a 28-year old U.S. employee to take over as the human... View Details
      Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Multinational Firms and Management; Race; Operations; Business Headquarters; Performance Improvement; Human Resources; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Industrial Products Industry; South Africa; United States
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      Beer, Michael. "Otis South Africa (A)." Harvard Business School Case 492-049, April 1992. (Revised June 1993.)
      • November 1991 (Revised June 1997)
      • Case

      Micom Caribe (A)

      By: David M. Upton and Joshua D. Margolis
      Describes the Puerto Rican manufacturing plant of a transnational company. The award-winning plant has dramatically improved the quality of flexibility of its operations, by taking a radical approach to manufacturing. The methods center on the use of specific... View Details
      Keywords: Business Plan; Multinational Firms and Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Product Launch; Production; Performance Improvement; Quality; Strategy; Manufacturing Industry
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      Upton, David M., and Joshua D. Margolis. "Micom Caribe (A)." Harvard Business School Case 692-002, November 1991. (Revised June 1997.)
      • October 1991 (Revised September 1998)
      • Case

      Maxwell Appliance Controls

      By: Robert S. Kaplan
      A profitable manufacturing division of a large company is looking for new ways to identify sources of productivity improvements. Led by its senior finance officer, an activity-based cost system is developed to identify activities performed for its highly varied product... View Details
      Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Management Teams; Quality; Performance Improvement; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Production; Manufacturing Industry
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      Kaplan, Robert S. "Maxwell Appliance Controls." Harvard Business School Case 192-058, October 1991. (Revised September 1998.)
      • 1991
      • Book

      Competitiveness and the State: Government and Business in Twentieth-Century Britain

      By: G. Jones and M. W. Kirby
      This book looks at the relationship between the British government and business since 1900, and examines the impact of government policies on business, productivity and competitiveness. The authors argue that government has a legitimate role to play in improving... View Details
      Keywords: Political History; Policy; Business History; Performance Consistency; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Productivity; Business and Government Relations; Competitive Strategy; Europe
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      Jones, G., and M. W. Kirby, eds. Competitiveness and the State: Government and Business in Twentieth-Century Britain. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1991.
      • November 1990 (Revised April 1999)
      • Case

      General Motors: Packard Electric Division

      By: Steven C. Wheelwright
      Packard Electric is the division of General Motors (GM) that does all of the electrical wiring and cabling for GM automobiles. They developed a new approach for passing the cables through the firewall between the engine and passenger compartments. The new technology... View Details
      Keywords: Business Divisions; Cost; Management Style; Product Design; Product Development; Production; Projects; Groups and Teams; Conflict and Resolution; Technology; Auto Industry
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      Wheelwright, Steven C. "General Motors: Packard Electric Division." Harvard Business School Case 691-030, November 1990. (Revised April 1999.)
      • November 1990 (Revised May 1994)
      • Case

      Microsoft Corp.: Office Business Unit

      By: Marco Iansiti
      Describes the development of a new word processing software package, Word for Windows. The major focus is how the development process should be improved to reduce schedule slips and cost overruns. Some of the issues raised are: the use of schedules in managing... View Details
      Keywords: Communication Strategy; Cost Management; Business or Company Management; Time Management; Product Development; Programs; Projects; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Information Technology Industry
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      Iansiti, Marco. "Microsoft Corp.: Office Business Unit." Harvard Business School Case 691-033, November 1990. (Revised May 1994.)
      • July 1990 (Revised August 1995)
      • Case

      Symantec--1982-90

      By: Nitin Nohria
      As Symantec grew from a small, upstart software development company to a major player in the software development industry, the channels of information flow and the internal communication needs of the company became more complex. The geographically-dispersed structure... View Details
      Keywords: Applications and Software; Communication Technology; Communication; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Employee Relationship Management; Growth and Development; Knowledge Dissemination; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Management; Information Technology Industry; United States
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      Nohria, Nitin. "Symantec--1982-90." Harvard Business School Case 491-010, July 1990. (Revised August 1995.)
      • April 1990 (Revised November 1992)
      • Case

      Population Services International: The Social Marketing Project in Bangladesh (Abridged)

      By: James E. Austin
      Population Services International (PSI) was a not-for-profit agency founded to disseminate family planning information and to market birth control products, primarily in less developed countries seeking to curb their population explosions. In 1976, PSI concluded an... View Details
      Keywords: Conferences; Developing Countries and Economies; Information Publishing; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Agreements and Arrangements; Product; Nonprofit Organizations; Pharmaceutical Industry; Bangladesh; Washington (state, US)
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      Austin, James E. "Population Services International: The Social Marketing Project in Bangladesh (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 590-061, April 1990. (Revised November 1992.)
      • March 1990 (Revised June 1993)
      • Case

      Analog Devices, Inc.: The Half-Life System

      By: Robert S. Kaplan
      The company has committed to major improvements in quality, cost, and on-time delivery performance. Despite strong senior management support, however, the actual rate of improvement was disappointing until a new measurement philosophy was introduced. The new approach... View Details
      Keywords: Quality; Performance Improvement; Earnings Management; Financial Reporting; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Productivity; Business or Company Management; Cost Management; Measurement and Metrics; Management Teams; Semiconductor Industry
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      Kaplan, Robert S. "Analog Devices, Inc.: The Half-Life System." Harvard Business School Case 190-061, March 1990. (Revised June 1993.)
      • February 1990 (Revised July 1992)
      • Case

      Whistler Corp. (A)

      By: Gary P. Pisano
      Describes the circumstances surrounding Whistler Corp.'s decision whether or not to continue manufacturing operations in the United States. The company had been experiencing severe problems in its domestic manufacturing operations and was thus unable to compete with... View Details
      Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Production; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States
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      Pisano, Gary P. "Whistler Corp. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 690-011, February 1990. (Revised July 1992.)
      • July 1989 (Revised April 2001)
      • Case

      Kanthal (A)

      By: Robert S. Kaplan
      Multinational company needs an improved cost system to determine the profitability of individual customer orders. Its strategy is to have significant sales and profitability growth without adding additional administrative and support people. The new cost system... View Details
      Keywords: Cost Accounting; Earnings Management; Cost Management; Financial Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Business or Company Management; Customer Relationship Management; Sales; Business Strategy; Profit; Electronics Industry
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      Kaplan, Robert S. "Kanthal (A)." Harvard Business School Case 190-002, July 1989. (Revised April 2001.)
      • June 1989 (Revised November 1991)
      • Supplement

      Ingersoll-Rand (B): Managing Multiple Channels--1986

      By: V. Kasturi Rangan
      Peter Baldwin takes over Clabough's job and is charged with the responsibility to improve sales force morale, control expenses, and improve market share. View Details
      Keywords: Salesforce Management; Supply and Industry; Management Teams; Industrial Products Industry
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      Rangan, V. Kasturi. "Ingersoll-Rand (B): Managing Multiple Channels--1986." Harvard Business School Supplement 589-122, June 1989. (Revised November 1991.)
      • April 1989
      • Case

      Norton Auto Supply

      By: Janice H. Hammond
      Describes a multiechelon distribution system for the distribution of automobile spare parts. An analyst has been hired by the Norton Auto Supply Co. to improve the company's inventory planning and control techniques. Includes demand, cost, weight, and supplier lead... View Details
      Keywords: Business or Company Management; Operations; Distribution Channels; Management Practices and Processes; Management; Strategy; Industrial Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry
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      Hammond, Janice H. "Norton Auto Supply." Harvard Business School Case 689-084, April 1989.
      • December 1988 (Revised March 1990)
      • Case

      Karen Vincent and Zodiac Corp.

      By: Howard H. Stevenson
      Keywords: Family Business; Production; Management; Performance Improvement; Apparel and Accessories Industry
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      Stevenson, Howard H. "Karen Vincent and Zodiac Corp." Harvard Business School Case 389-078, December 1988. (Revised March 1990.)
      • May 1988 (Revised June 2023)
      • Case

      National Cranberry Cooperative, 1996

      By: Roy D. Shapiro
      Describes the continuous flow process used to process cranberries into juice and/or sauce. Requires student to analyze process flows to determine where the bottlenecks are and to decide how, and whether, to expand capacity. Original version written by J.G. Miller and... View Details
      Keywords: Logistics; Performance Capacity; Performance Improvement; Supply Chain; Mathematical Methods; Cost vs Benefits; Production
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      Shapiro, Roy D. "National Cranberry Cooperative, 1996." Harvard Business School Case 688-122, May 1988. (Revised June 2023.)
      • July 1987
      • Case

      Altoona Corp.: Computer Products Division

      By: Roger E. Bohn and Robert H. Hayes
      A relatively small manufacturer of computer memory disks has achieved a major market position through the use of its statistical quality control (SQC) program. It is now expanding the production of a new line of disks and is encountering problems getting the process... View Details
      Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Volatility; Performance Consistency; Performance Improvement; Performance Productivity; Quality; Mathematical Methods; Hardware; Manufacturing Industry
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      Bohn, Roger E., and Robert H. Hayes. "Altoona Corp.: Computer Products Division." Harvard Business School Case 688-010, July 1987.
      • July 1987 (Revised May 1993)
      • Case

      Atlas Copco (A): Gaining and Building Distribution Channels

      By: V. Kasturi Rangan
      Atlas Copco, a Swedish company, holds the highest market share for air compressors worldwide. However, its attempts to enter U.S. markets have been unsuccessful. The case describes a series of strategic distribution maneuvers implemented by the company which enable it... View Details
      Keywords: Growth and Development; Marketing Channels; Market Entry and Exit; Market Participation; Distribution Channels; Failure; Industrial Products Industry; Sweden; United States
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      Rangan, V. Kasturi. "Atlas Copco (A): Gaining and Building Distribution Channels." Harvard Business School Case 588-004, July 1987. (Revised May 1993.)
      • September 1986 (Revised February 2007)
      • Case

      Solagen: Process Improvement in the Manufacture of Gelatin at Kodak

      By: Dorothy A. Leonard and Brian DeLacey
      Kodak must decide whether to make a major investment in a production facility designed around a new technique for producing the gelatin critical to so many film and paper products. Currently, gelatin making is an arcane art, unchanged in 150 years and heavily dependent... View Details
      Keywords: Arts; Buildings and Facilities; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Experience and Expertise; Engineering; Investment; Time Management; Production; Research and Development; Semiconductor Industry
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      Leonard, Dorothy A., and Brian DeLacey. "Solagen: Process Improvement in the Manufacture of Gelatin at Kodak." Harvard Business School Case 687-020, September 1986. (Revised February 2007.)
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